Driving through a neighborhood next to Piedmont Park on the way to walk with ETK, I found a young woman in a pink hoodie sprawled on a sidewalk.
As I drove past, I first wondered if she was admiring the trees. She was flat on her back, surrounded by leaves with a wonderful canopy above her. 2 seconds later I was half a block away and realized no, that’s not right. I turned around, stopped the car, got out and found big fat tears on her cheeks when I leaned over to ask if she was OK. “No” she said in a tiny little voice, explaining in English broken by shock that she’d wrecked her bike, thought her arm was broken and couldn’t get up. I asked how long she’d been there. “A while.” I wondered how many people drove by without seeing, or drove by and saw and didn’t stop.
I picked up her bike, put it behind her house (she was almost home), packed her in the Jeep and delivered Allesandra the young Colombian GA Tech student to the health center.
I secretly love it when the universe kicks my azz for being a jerk - specifically for wanting to hit a girl over the head with a chair earlier today for wearing a miniskirt, too much CK One and in general not being authentic. Shame on me.
30 Nov 07
1:25 pm
Wow! You are the good Samaritan. I am sure that lady was very thankful for you.
Good thing you listened to your gut, eh?
Good job!
30 Nov 07
1:28 pm
what a crazy story.
04 Dec 07
10:12 am
Dude. Where are you?
04 Dec 07
7:50 pm
so sweet.
05 Dec 07
4:03 pm
I love it as well when life kicks you in the ass…. i mean me in the ass. It’s awesome that you stopped and were able to help. I would have probably been one of the people who were to busy in life to even notice. Thanks
06 Dec 07
3:36 am
Excellent work Maigh, I’ve been on the other side:
A few years ago I crashed my bike pretty badly in some singletrack on a group ride. The kind of wreck where you wiggle your toes to be sure you can before you start to move other things. Another rider stayed with me off the back for a while before I was able to assure him that I was fine and he should catch the group — I’d just go home.
5 minutes down the trail I realised I wasn’t going to make it home, so I rode up from the river to a find the majorest road that I could and call my wife from for a ride home. I called then stood and waited. I sat when I couldn’t stand any more. Then lay down in a planter box beside the bus stop when it became too painful to sit. Then I started shivering.
Four bus loads of people came and went before anyone asked me if I was ok, although quite a few gave me weird or dirty looks. The one woman who did ask if I was alright too my assurance that I was ok and that someone was on their way to get me at face value. She asked if I was sure and I said that I was so she went home.
When my wife arrived she helped me up and into the car. ‘You’re shivering.’
‘It’s cold.’
‘No it’s not; you’re in shock.’
‘Oh.’
‘Why didn’t you call an ambulance?’ (She’s a nurse).
‘I didn’t know.’
So we drove to the hospital where I was put on a board and given a full set of spinal x-rays, told I was lucky and spent a week in various degrees of discomfort.
Stopping to help is important. You did good.
06 Dec 07
1:00 pm
Thanks, all. I have to admit, if it wasn’t for having grown up where I did/the way I did and if it wasn’t for my baby boy and his various bike vs. car incidents, I might not be as aware as I am of peds and/or just taking the time to be aware of my surroundings.
For the uninitiated: http://www.maigh.com/2005/03/09/kevin/